Final Resolution of the 1st International Women’s Conference “Revolution in the Making” Frankfurt 6-7 October 2018

In Memory of Mehmet Aksoy

STATEMENTS

The Assault on Local Democracy Goes On: 259 Kurdish Mukhtars Suspended From Duty!

On the detentions against the HDP members ahead of local elections

OPEN LETTER TO HASSAN ROHANI: “YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INCREASING KILLINGS OF KOLBERS”

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NEWS

Occupation sells Afrin people’s property in public auctions22 October 2018/ANHA Hawar news AgencyThe Turkish occupation and its mercenaries sell the property of the people of Afrin at public auctions organized in the areas they occupied. On 18 March, the cameras of several media sites showed how the occupation forces and their mercenaries broke the doors of the shops of the city of Afrin and stole the property of the residents.http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/occupation-sells-afrin-peoples-property-in-public-auctions-h4431.html

Demonstration against violence against women in Rojava21 October 2018/ANF NewsIn Rojava, activities have already begun to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25th November. Hundreds of women gathered in Girkê Legê upon the call of women’s movement Kongreya Star to demonstrate against violence and killings of women.https://anfenglish.com/news/demonstration-against-violence-against-women-in-rojava-30300

Lunnebach: The PKK ban started as an exception, turned into law20 October 2018/ANF NewsLawyer to Kurds in Germany Edith Lunnebach spoke in the ongoing conference in Berlin on the PKK ban and said: “The ban and obstacles against Kurds started with exceptions, and in time it turned into law.” The conference entitled “25 Years of the PKK Ban: 25 years of oppression and democracy serving German Foreign Policy” started in the morning in Berlin. Die Linke MPs, lawyers, politicians and human rights defenders are among the attendees.https://anfenglish.com/news/lunnebach-the-pkk-ban-started-as-an-exception-turned-into-law-30286

HDP kicks off preparations for Turkish local elections20 October 2018/RudawThe Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) said they have begun preparations for Turkey’s March 2019 local elections, intending to win back the mayoral posts that they were ousted from by pro-AKP trustees. During their crackdown on the PKK and the Gulen movement, blamed for staging the fail 2016 coup, the ruling AKP removed the majority of some 100 pro-Kurdish mayors in Turkey’s southeast, replacing them with its own loyalists, calling them trustees.http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/20102018

Iran arrests six Kurds for aiding opposition forces19 October 2018/Kurdistan 24Iranian authorities recently arrested six young Kurds on charges of aiding opposition parties as the frequency of clashes rises between the Islamic Regime and armed wings of entities seeking greater rights for the ethnic minority. In recent weeks, an unknown armed group and another affiliated to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) launched separate attacks on members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iranian Kurdish (Rojhilati) provinces, killing one border guard and three IRGC members.http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/416383e3-40d6-4456-b826-5c66985c0af5

At least 15 ISIS members killed in Operation Cizire Storm19 October 2018/ANF NewsThe offensive “Cizire Storm” against the last ISIS structures in the east of Syria continues. The SDF reports that at least 15 jihadists have been killed in the most recent battles. The ‘balance sheet’ report is as follows: “15 terrorists were killed, Coalition forces carried out eleven air strikes”, “Five ISIS positions were destroyed”, “A GPS device of the terrorists was seized”, “Two of our fighters were martyred, seven others were injured”.https://anfenglishmobile.com/rojava-northern-syria/at-least-15-isis-members-killed-in-operation-cizire-storm-30263

Rojava University conference starts19 October 2018/ANF NewsThe conference for universities and academies in Northern and Eastern Syria has started. TEV-DEM Diplomacy Officer Aldar Xelîl spoke in the conference and said they have resisted invasion while building a new system during the revolution. Xelil said, “We are still trying to build our system amidst all this destruction. Our resistance against terrorist organizations like ISIS and their supporters on one hand and invasion attempts against the region on the other continues. An example of this is Afrin.”https://anfenglishmobile.com/rojava-northern-syria/rojava-university-conference-starts-30267

Turkey deposes some 260 elected village heads, arrests follow18 October 2018/Kurdistan 24With Turkey going to local elections in less than six months, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government deposed 259 elected village and neighborhood heads known as mukhtars mostly in Kurdish provinces in the latest wave of an ongoing crackdown on the opposition and the civil society. A press release signed by the Interior Ministry Suleyman Soylu accused the dismissed officials of having “links to terrorist groups,” thus being dangerous to continue in office.http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/6f32dead-dd0a-4f32-b8fe-d8b672ac93e6

Iran executes seven in past week, three of them Kurds18 October 2018/Kurdistan 24Iranian officials in five different prisons carried out the death sentences of seven prisoners in the past week as the country continues to dominate total execution numbers internationally. Among those executed were three Kurds, a human rights watchdog reported on Wednesday. Mawloud Sha-Husseini, from Kurdistan Province’s city of Divandarreh (Diwandara), was arrested in 2014 on charges of dealing drugs and shortly after was convicted and handed a death sentence. Now 29, he has been awaiting the completion of his sentence for the past four years and on Tuesday it was carried out in Isfahan Central Prison, said Iran Human Rights Monitor.http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/6f4eefc2-da15-4ad9-96fa-106c741a3559

Turkey shells Kurdistan Region, claims it killed 12 PKK members17 October 2018/KurdistanTurkey claims to have “neutralized” 12 members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) following attacks on Wednesday by its warplanes that struck targets in mountainous areas within the Kurdistan Region’s borders.http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/12d915ae-aec5-45f6-be3a-5d67cad1a416

Chief of Staff: Coordinating with several countries to determine fate of Daesh detainees17 October ANHA Hawar news AgencyThe United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford, said Washington was coordinating with several countries to determine the fate of 700 members of Daesh militants detainees by Syrian Democratic Forces. Nuri Mahmoud, spokesman for the People Protection Units YPG, announced earlier this month that the number of prisoners is about 900, from about 44 countries. The SDF have repeatedly expressed their readiness to hand over the mercenary elements which were kept at hands of SDF to their countries.http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/us-chief-of-staff-coordinating-with-several-countries-to-determine-fate-of-daesh-detainees-h4354.html

Another kind of participation in battle to defeat terrorism!16 October 2018/ANHA Hawar news AgencyA few kilometers behind the front lines of the fighting fronts in the last bastion of IS mercenaries, there are fighters working on the other front. They are the fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces working in the industrial center. They carry the mechanical tools instead of the weapons and carry out the task of repairing the cars and mechanisms of the fighters.http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/another-kind-of-participation-in-battle-to-defeat-terrorism-h4330.html

Raqqa pumping station working at full scale16 October 2018/ANF EnglishThe city of Raqqa was liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces one year ago. The pumping station had been almost completely destroyed by DAESH mercenaries. The work of the station was initially limited to diesel fuel to operate pump engines for the delivery of water. The water station in Raqqa city provides the entire Raqqa city and its countryside to 9500 liters per hour. Furthermore, 11 new chlorine pumps were received from Raqqa civil Council and installed.https://anfenglishmobile.com/rojava-northern-syria/raqqa-pumping-station-working-at-full-scale-30211

Clashes in Azaz spread to Afrin15 October 2015/ANF EnglishThere are reports of clashes between the Ahrar Sharqiyya gang group and the Damascus Front in Turkish-occupied Afrin. Clashes broke out between the Ahrar Sharqiyya and the Jabhat Shamiyya gang groups on Sunday evening. Local sources say the clashes spread to Afrin after members of Ahrar Sharqiyya were arrested in Azaz by the military police the Turkish state founded. Ahrar Sharqiyya has reportedly arrested 3 members of the Jabhat Shamiyya.https://anfenglishmobile.com/rojava-northern-syria/clashes-in-azaz-spread-to-afrin-30202

Important projects for women’s economy15 October 2018/ANF NewsThe Women’s Committee under the Hesekê Economy Directorate has developed several projects to develop women’s ecoomy. With projects on agriculture, husbandry, kitchens, clothing and cooperatives, women are leading the region’s economy. The committee has opened a dairy farm in Hesekê’s El Silêymaniyê village. 11 women have come together to build the farm which has been active since September 1.https://anfenglishmobile.com/rojava-northern-syria/important-projects-for-women-s-economy-30204

Daily Mail: Fear reigns over Afrin after seized by Turkey-backed gangs.13 October 2018/ANHA Hawar News AgencyThe Daily Mail reports that the residents of Syria’s Kurdish region of Afrin suffer from a series of violations by Turkish-backed terrorists and are being subjected to kidnappings for ransom, armed robbery and torture. Since Turkey and its mercenaries occupied the city of Afrin, the United Nations and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have documented widespread violations. According to the UN Inquiry Committee most of the 320,000 residents that fled are unable to return to Afrin.http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/daily-mail-fear-reigns-over-afrin-after-seized-by-turkey-backed-gangs-h4280.html

‘Moderate’ Turkish-backed militias seek to ‘bury’ left-wingers in Syria23 October 2018/The CanaryThe ‘moderate’ Free Syrian Army (FSA) has brought itself into further disrepute following comments from its military assembly head Adnan Abu Faisal. He told pro-Turkish-government news agency the Daily Sabah that the FSA is “ready to eliminate” local left-wing forces from the Syrian city of Manbij if “instructed by Ankara”. The fact that Turkey can ‘instruct’ FSA militias to attack Kurdish-led left-wingers in northern Syria may be a surprise to some. Because the Western press has long touted the FSA as a ‘moderate‘ opposition to the oppressive dictatorship of Bashar Al-Assad.https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2018/10/23/moderate-turkish-backed-militias-seek-to-bury-left-wingers-in-syria/

The Turkey’s Defense Industry and The Kurds23 October 2018/Washington Kurdish InstituteThe Islamist AKP regime is built on the “favoritism economy”. One of the most important pillars of the rent-based favoritism economy is undoubtedly the defense industry. The Turkish government one on hand portrays its own brand of Islamism as peaceful but, on the other hand, gives citizens arms as a gifts and constantly upgrades its own weapons of war, for near-term use in various campaigns of aggression inside Turkey and beyond the country’s borders, all while boasting of its “virtue”.https://dckurd.org/2018/10/23/the-turkeys-defense-industry-and-the-kurds/

Life of Kobane female teenagers – Kobane Pt. 519 October 2018/rfiIn the northern Syrian city of Kobane, Kurds make up the majority of the population. In 2015, when the city was almost surrounded by the Islamic State armed group, most of the population fled to the Turkish border. Today, three years on, many families have come back to Kobane. But for Kobane’s women, and especially the youth, has life returned to normal? Filip Warwick tries to answer that question in this final report of a five-part series.http://en.rfi.fr/20181019-Life-Kobane-female-teenagers-Kobane-Pt-5

Censorship: Twitter silences Kurdish journalism while claiming commitment to free speech19 October 2018/The RegionThe debate over free speech and content policy on Twitter– like on other social media sites— is often centered where the company is headquartered. Yet this discussion obscures the fact that company policies today are already used to silence important voices— journalists reporting from Kurdistan, who provide key information on political and military developments there at great personal risk.https://theregion.org/article/13179-censorship-twitter-silences-kurdish-journalism-while-claiming-commitment-to-free-speech

Tal al-Baya camp, each tent has a story to tell15 October 2018/ANHA Hawar news AgencyIn each of the tents of refugee there are thousands of stories. For example in Tal al-Baya camp many a story exist that illustrate the suffering of its inhabitants, whether they escaped the government’s violence or IS terrorism. These people suffer the horrors of displacement and the bitterness of living in tents that do not protect them from summer’s scorching heat or winter’s harsh cold.http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/tal-al-baya-camp-each-tent-has-a-story-to-tell-h4312.html

Erdogan’s Idlib: Humanitarian Crisis or Political Sticking Point?10 October 2018/The Washington InstituteIn his public remarks and positions, the Turkish president tends to divide the world into two sides based on his own understanding and self-interest: the world of good and the world of evil. Those who stand by him in his aspirations, both legitimate and illegitimate, fall into the former category. But any pushback, including against a tendency to dominate and oppress others are categorized as evil, and more specifically as terrorists.https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/fikraforum/view/erdogans-idlib-humanitarian-crisis-or-political-sticking-point

In Memory of Mehmet Aksoy10 October 2018/Peace in Kurdistan CampaignDebbie Bookchin spoke at the memorial. I am very honored to stand before you today and say a few words about Mehmet. Mehmet spoke words of inspiration effortlessly, from his heart, channeling a river of passion for justice and righteousness, with a wisdom that it sometimes seems he was born with, though we all know that he worked hard to become the extraordinary person he was.https://peaceinkurdistancampaign.com/2018/10/10/in-memory-of-mehmet-aksoy/

STATEMENTS

The Assault on Local Democracy Goes On: 259 Kurdish Mukhtars Suspended From Duty!22 October 2018/Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) via The Kurdistan TribuneTurkish government’s ongoing assault on local democracy has shifted to another field in the run up to the local elections scheduled for late March 2019. This time the target is “mukhtars” in Kurdish provinces (elected headmen of villages and neighborhoods). After President Erdoğan had pointed at them as the next target by saying, “There are mukhtars who yield to the threats of the PKK, we cannot forgive them,” the Ministry of Interior “launched an investigation” about mukhtars in Kurdish provinces.https://kurdistantribune.com/the-assault-on-local-democracy-goes-on-259-kurdish-mukhtars-suspended-from-duty/

OPEN LETTER TO HASSAN ROHANI: “YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INCREASING KILLINGS OF KOLBERS”8 October 2018/RojhelatAhmed Nyaz the lawyer of many Kolbers (border workers) wrote in an open letter to Hassan Rohani, the president and chairman of national security of Iran and reminded him that “You are responsible for the increasing killing of Kolbers”. A significant number of residents in Kurdish populated border regions of Iran, from Maku to Ilam make their living as a Kolber (border worker) due to poverty, widespread unemployment, the absence of productive industrial units and the lack of sustainable development, which is the result of discrimination and inequality governing the region.http://rojhelat.info/en/?p=9945

EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR AFRIN

Life in Afrin

Weekly News Briefing

Jeremy Corbyn issues statement of support for the National Demo

Message from Jeremy Corbyn to Kurdish national demonstration in London:
“I’m sorry not to be able to be with you today, but I send a message of solidarity with today’s demonstration, and with the Kurdish people, under sustained attack across the Middle East.
The conflict in Syria has been the trigger for an onslaught against the Kurdish people, who are defending their autonomy and their rights.
We are watching closely the alarming events that have been unfolding in Turkey in recent weeks, including the killing of civilians and destruction of Kurdish homes.
Any negotiated settlement of the Syrian conflict must include peace and justice for the Kurds, including in Turkey. And the Turkish government needs as a matter of urgency to restart the peace process with the Kurds and respect the rights of all its people.
We call for an end to repression of the Kurds and justice for the Kurdish people throughout the Middle East.”

Destruction and Repression in North Kurdistan

Freedom for Ocalan!

On the 19th anniversary of his kidnap and imprisonment by Turkey, we renew our call for Abdullah Ocalan to be freed as part of a peaceful solution to the Kurdish question.